Warren Beatty Sued for Allegedly Coercing Sex With a Minor in 1973

Warren Beatty is facing a lawsuit from a woman who claims she was coerced into having sex with the Hollywood legend in 1973. The plaintiff, Kristina Charlotte Hirsch, was 14 or 15 years old at the time. Her lawsuit does not name Beatty, only referencing the defendant as an actor nominated for an Academy Award for playing Clyde in Bonnie and Clyde. Representatives for Beatty, who would have been about 35 at the time of the alleged incidents described, have not responded to requests for comment yet.

Hirsch filed her lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court Monday, reports Variety. The defendant, who lives in Louisana, claims she met Beatty, now 85, on a movie set. The actor allegedly paid “undue attention” to her and commented on her looks. She claims he also gave her his phone number and called her multiple times in 1973. Beatty allegedly invited her to the hotel where he lived and took her on car rides. Hirsch claimed Beatty offered to help with her homework and spoke about her losing her virginity.

Beatty “used his position and status as an adult and a Hollywood movie star to coerce sexual contact with Plaintiff on multiple occasions, including oral sex, simulated sex and finally coerced sexual intercourse with the minor child,” according to the lawsuit. Hirsch said she was “thrilled” about the attention at first and thought she was in a romantic relationship with Beatty. She claims Beatty coerced her into having sex with him multiple times before their relationship ended later that year, notes The Hollywood Reporter.

Hirsch filed the lawsuit now under a 2019 California law that opened a three-year window for plaintiffs to file claims of child sexual abuse. Without the law, Hirsch’s claims would have been barred by the statute of limitations. The window closes on Jan. 1.

Hirsch is seeking compensation for psychological, mental, and emotional distress. She claims her alleged relationship with Beatty made it difficult for her to interact with authority figures and suffered “issues with trust and control.” Hirsch is represented by Michael Reck and Michael Finnegan of Jeff Anderson & Associates, which has also represented clients in child sex abuse cases involving the Boy Scouts of America and the Catholic Church.

Beatty was famously linked to dozens of Hollywood actresses before he married Annette Bening in 1992. Bonnie and Clyde earned Beatty his first Oscar nominations for Best Actor and Best Picture in 1968. He won Best Director for Reds in 1981 and received the honorary Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 2000. His most recent project, Rules Don’t Apply, was released in 2016.